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adoereading's review
5.0
A love story that is not a love story, but is a love story with lessons sometimes everything falls into place as you want it and yet can somehow.
The most confusing sentence I will ever form about book. I loved [b:Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351], so it was no trouble picking this up the next time I went to Barnes & Noble. Everyone told me how much they loved this book while I was reading Fangirl and though it has sat in the stack of books for months waiting for me to pick it up yesterday felt like the day to start.
I could not put it down.
Eleanor is not perfect. She is not skinny as a twig, instead the beautiful thickness of the oak itself. She has hair the brightest red you could ever think of that curls at every chance on top of each other and freckles to match on the pale skin. If that was not enough she dresses in such a manner that demands to make her be noticed if you somehow looked over her curly mop. In short, Eleanor is not your typical girl in books. I've realized I've said this before. I really truly mean it as I do each time. Eleanor is not the heroine who discovers powers. Eleanor does not magically win anyone over because she suddenly alters changeable things about herself. No, she remains true to herself through the story. She is hardly ever able to accept the good since she has only known awful.
Awful tends to weed back into her life, no matter how much Park could pluck it away for a short time.
Park is one of those people who is there, yet is not there. He is not popular, but he is not unpopular. He skims by with little to no effort. If it was not for his father being a Vet, if it was not for his family always living in town since before it was a town, then Park may not have had it so easy. He would have gotten more crap about being 5'4" and slender. He would have gotten beat up for being half Korean. Not a lot happened to Park. Girls were few. Millstones were slim. Everything was this nice norm where he had little worries. His biggest worry was learning stick. Until he sees Eleanor because then it becomes an uphill battle worrying if he will keep is so-so status or not all with Eleanor suddenly being dropped his lap. He’s never felt much of anything. Never felt good enough. Never felt bliss. Never felt it all made sense. She changed that, even if she frustrated him to no end with how she talked and acted. It all changed. Though even he remained the same.
The most confusing sentence I will ever form about book. I loved [b:Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351], so it was no trouble picking this up the next time I went to Barnes & Noble. Everyone told me how much they loved this book while I was reading Fangirl and though it has sat in the stack of books for months waiting for me to pick it up yesterday felt like the day to start.
I could not put it down.
Eleanor is not perfect. She is not skinny as a twig, instead the beautiful thickness of the oak itself. She has hair the brightest red you could ever think of that curls at every chance on top of each other and freckles to match on the pale skin. If that was not enough she dresses in such a manner that demands to make her be noticed if you somehow looked over her curly mop. In short, Eleanor is not your typical girl in books. I've realized I've said this before. I really truly mean it as I do each time. Eleanor is not the heroine who discovers powers. Eleanor does not magically win anyone over because she suddenly alters changeable things about herself. No, she remains true to herself through the story. She is hardly ever able to accept the good since she has only known awful.
Awful tends to weed back into her life, no matter how much Park could pluck it away for a short time.
Park is one of those people who is there, yet is not there. He is not popular, but he is not unpopular. He skims by with little to no effort. If it was not for his father being a Vet, if it was not for his family always living in town since before it was a town, then Park may not have had it so easy. He would have gotten more crap about being 5'4" and slender. He would have gotten beat up for being half Korean. Not a lot happened to Park. Girls were few. Millstones were slim. Everything was this nice norm where he had little worries. His biggest worry was learning stick. Until he sees Eleanor because then it becomes an uphill battle worrying if he will keep is so-so status or not all with Eleanor suddenly being dropped his lap. He’s never felt much of anything. Never felt good enough. Never felt bliss. Never felt it all made sense. She changed that, even if she frustrated him to no end with how she talked and acted. It all changed. Though even he remained the same.
readwithkiekie's review against another edition
I’ve removed my rating and review as I truly would not want anyone picking up this book based on my review. A lot of people have spoke up and provided references from the novel which shows Eleanor and Park to be heavily racist. From Park’s name, to the characteristics used to describe park and his brother.
kaelilili's review
3.0
I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. Eleanor is really unlikable by the way she treats others and how she reacts to Park. Park fell in love a little too hard and for no real reason in my opinion since he frequently says that Eleanor is angry and cold to him a lot of the time. And of course, as others have said, the Asian stereotypes in this book were everywhere and made me a bit uncomfortable.
bandp0601's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
magikspells's review against another edition
4.0
This is the sort of book that just reminds me so much of why I love broken characters and then the ones that are just so ridiculously good and nice that the other person doesn't believe they're real. This was a quick read and a sweet story of teenage love, without all that stupid sugar coating that YA fantasy verses make out of teenagers.
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Eleanor and Park and would recommend it to anyone, but it misses out on a five star rating because I felt like the book lost some steam towards the end. The actual romance that developed between the two title characters was less exciting than the build-up beforehand and even the first spark of their friendship, and the climax of the plot felt disjointed from the rest of the story and created a weird rift between Eleanor and Park that was jarring to me, especially since it wasn't completely resolved. I hear now that there may be a sequel, which could work because it would hopefully resolve the ending, but I'm not sure where it would go after that.
e_o's review
3.0
Ok a few thoughts. I guess being racist was tome appropiate, taking into consideration that this was in the 80s but like, it was a bit too much. I really like how the author portrays teenage feelings, made me feel like i was going back to high school. Also appreciated how hard topics were portrayed and how sometimes there is no happy ending. Overall i liked the book, but the characters not so much, i know eleanor is not the favorite of everyone and mine neither, but park also annoyed me a lot.
maida's review
2.0
Around the year in 52 books:
19. A New York Times best-seller
I'm dead basically lmao.
please tell me the "three words" thingy is i love you and /not/ park please stop or something like that.
God Eleanor annoyed the crap out of me.
19. A New York Times best-seller
I'm dead basically lmao.
please tell me the "three words" thingy is i love you and /not/ park please stop or something like that.
God Eleanor annoyed the crap out of me.
diaryofaditi's review
2.0
let me just say this book was so RACIST like miss gurl we love how you write so beautifully about the character's feelings but the racism in this book had no limit. i was so attached to the characters, the importance of small gestures gave me butterflies and I LOVED it!!
goodem9199's review against another edition
4.0
So I just finished Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I loved it. I'm a child of the 80's, so I appreciated the time period immensely. But I have to say that it may be the first time that I loved a book, and simultaneously hated one of the main characters. Eleanor is a pain in my ass. I know, I know, she's been abused and I sympathize with that, but dang girl...get a grip! Let me sum up the story: boy (cute, kind, semi-popular) meets new girl (chubby, red-headed, anti-fashionista, broken home) and they fall in love. Eleanor is a hot mess. For reals. Each and every time Park opens his mouth, Eleanor is falling over with emotion and taking everything the wrong way. It's tiring. I do not like this chick. Having said that, I think Rowell is a fantastic teen writer. She doesn't sugar coat reality. Eleanor's mother is an idiot who allows an abusive stepfather to run the house ,and the kids spirits, into the ground. Eleanor is bullied at school and can't seem to get a break in general. This book has some heavy topics, but the writing isn't bogged down with grief. On the other hand, it's not the teeny-bopper fluff that I can't stand, either. It reminded me of what falling in love for the first time was like. The "if-I-can't-see-him-for-2-days-over-the-weekend-i'm-going-to-die" feeling. And the "I-can't-seem-to-get-close-enough-to-this-person-even-if-i-stand-on-his-feet" feeling. And, yes Eleanor, I totally wanted to eat the face off of my first love, too.
Also, Eleanor is supposed to be chubby...but her cover drawing doesn't reflect that. A minor detail, but it irritated me.
I'd put it in the hands of adults who can appreciate YA, and teens over 14.
Also, Eleanor is supposed to be chubby...but her cover drawing doesn't reflect that. A minor detail, but it irritated me.
I'd put it in the hands of adults who can appreciate YA, and teens over 14.